Airport Goodbyes
by ToothPasteCanyon
Summary: Dipper and Mabel are going their separate ways for college. Saying goodbye at the airport was never going to be easy, but they'd face it together.


"Have you got your passport, bro bro?" Mabel hopped out of the car and stood in the airport parking lot, watching her brother unload his bags: a heavy red one for his clothes, and a backpack full of books for the flight. Unbeknownst to her brother she'd snuck a page of stickers in there, because you never know when you need stickers.

"Yes, I have got my passport."

"And your plane ticket?"

"Yes, Mabel. Don't worry, I'm all- oh, I dropped it."

"I got it, kid." Stan picked up the ticket and handed it to his nephew. "Don't want you losing it, plane tickets cost a fortune!"

Mabel nudged Dipper. "Yeah. And then you'd have to stay with us!"

"Haha, right." He put the ticket in his pocket. "Thanks, guys. So, should we go?"

"I'm ready if you are, bro bro."

"Not in the slightest… let's do this."

They began moving towards the actual building, Dipper's bag hitching and wobbling as it was wheeled along behind. Mabel stuck very close to her brother, sneaking little glances at him as he talked to Grunkle Stan, hyperaware of how their time together was so quickly running out.

"I can't remember the last time I've been to an airport," Grunkle Stan was saying. "Not since I was banned, I think. That was a good day!"

"Haha, don't get me banned, Grunkle Stan."

"I'll do my best, but no promises, right?" They entered the building, a blast of cold air washing over them. "Wow, this place is cold. Where's the elevator?"

Mabel pointed to a corridor at the opposite end of the room. "Over there! Race you!"

"Mabel, I've got all my stuff-!"

"I win!"

"Okay, sure, you win." Dipper rolled his eyes, pressing a button. After a few seconds of waiting, an elevator opened. The three piled on, and ascended with some other passengers for a couple awkward seconds before the doors opened and they stepped off.

The airport lobby was more like a massive mall complex than anything else. There were tall ceilings with open sections to the floors above and below, stores situated on the sides, people walking slowly past laden with shopping bags. Mabel looked to one side, seeing a store selling…

"Icecream!"

"Of course that's the first thing you notice, Mabel."

"Yep! Now let's go eat some!"

Stan rolled his eyes. "Trust me, you don't want to buy anything here. Airports jack the prices up almost as much as me!"

"That, and check in is that way." Dipper started walking in the opposite direction. Casting one last wistful glance at the icecream shop, Mabel followed him.

The check in desk was approaching. This was really happening.

"Ugh, look at that line." Grunkle Stan growled as they came even closer. "Are you sure I can't use a smoke bomb? Just one?"

Dipper rolled his eyes and said something witty in reply, but Mabel wasn't listening so closely anymore. She found a seat by the wall and sat in it, staring at the check in desk, at the line, and then at the start of the security screenings. That was the end of the line, the parting of ways she was so dreading, and it was so close now. So close, she could feel raw sadness scratching at her heart.

"Hey," Mabel was startled out of her thoughts by a gentle voice. She looked over to see Dipper sitting down next to her. "Grunkle Stan said he could take care of checking in my bags."

Mabel shakily smiled. "That's good."

"Hey, Mabel," Dipper put an arm around her shoulder. "I know you don't want me to go. I'm… kind of scared about it too. But even if we're not physically together all the time, we can still talk! Every day, if you want."

She leaned into her brother. "I know. I'll still miss you, though."

"And I'll miss you too, Mabel!"

There was a comfortable pause, and then she said, "You're gonna make the best ghost show from this college you're going to, right?"

"I hope so."

"And you're going to tell me all about the person you sat next to on the plane?"

"Sure, sister."

She looked up at her brother, grinning. "And give them lots of stickers?"

"What? Mabel, I don't have any-" He stopped midsentence in realization, then rolled his eyes. "Mabel, you didn't."

"Well, are you?"

"You're asking me to offer stickers to random strangers? Maybe when I was twelve, but now I'm gonna have to turn that one down."

"Haha, okay, you got me." Mabel sat up, wiping her eyes. "I think that's Grunkle Stan waving at us. How did he get through that whole line already?"

Dipper sat up, also rubbing a little blurriness out of his vision. "Probably not legally, great." He took off running, Mabel close behind. "Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Stan!"

Stan hadn't actually gotten in trouble with the law; he'd just been lucky to get a fast line. "I told you, I wasn't gonna get you in trouble! Ye of little faith. Now where are we going next?" He looked around the airport, smile dimming as he settled on the security checkpoint "Through security?"

Dipper took a deep breath. "Through security."

It was the final few seconds… just long enough for a goodbye.

"Well, this is as close as I'm allowed to get to an airplane." Grunkle Stan put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Have fun at your nerdy film college, you knucklehead. Tell your old Grunkle Stan all about it!"

"I will, Grunkle Stan." Dipper hugged the old man, who smiled and tightly returned it. There was a misty shine in his eye as he let Dipper go.

Then Dipper turned to face Mabel, and this was it. There were so many words running through her head that for once in her life, she was speechless. Speechless and tearful.

Dipper reached out and hugged his sister. The two gripped each other for a long time, comforted by the familiarity yet so, so saddened by the finality. By the time both of them pulled away, they were sobbing.

"Ca-a-all m-me whe-en you la-a-and." Mabel managed through the hitches in her breath. Dipper nodded, and he waved, and he began to walk away…

…Still looking back, still waving, getting smaller…

…And smaller…

…And one final glance, one final wave…

…And he was gone. And Mabel was left without her brother.

At that moment, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She didn't have to look up to know who it was.

"Hey, pumpkin, it's okay." A pause, then: "Wanna go get some ice cream?"


End file.
